Fondness
'fɒndnəs
Definitions
A strong feeling of affection or liking.
'fɒndnəs
A feeling of love or liking for something or someone; affection.
He had a great fondness for old movies.
💡 Simply: Fondness is when you really, really like something or someone. Like, if you always want to play with your favorite toy, that's fondness!
👶 For kids: It means you like something or someone a lot!
More Examples
Her fondness for animals was evident in the way she cared for them.
The teacher was pleased to see the students' growing fondness for reading.
How It's Used
"She had a fondness for chocolate."
"The therapist observed a marked fondness between the parent and child."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
Have a fondness for something
To like something very much.
"She has a fondness for spicy food."
From Middle English 'fondnesse', derived from 'fond' (foolish, foolishly affectionate) + '-ness' (suffix denoting a state or quality). The root 'fond' traces back to the Old English 'fonnian' (to be foolish).
The word 'fondness' has been used since the 16th century and gradually evolved to represent a strong and often enduring affection, frequently used in both formal and informal contexts.
Memory tip
Think of a 'fond' memory; fondness is the feeling associated with that memory.
Word Origin
"foolish affection, affection"